Rubberduck Productions & Søvnig on DiGiDi

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History

Like many other music companies, Rubberduck started out as a record-company in the 90's. And just like many other indie-labels, the urge was to gain creative control and earn the money coming up. 

Martin Gerup, the founder, was in the middle of making his own record on Pladekompagniet/Sony Music Denmark, when his brother Johan showed him some recordings he had made. It was back in 1991. Martin decided to use his time on Johans project. Rubberduck Productions was born. And the first release was Flying Fish: It's almost fairy time, 1993. 

The press wrote: *1

Gaffa, June 93 "Some of the most imaginative in Danish music for a long time" 

Aktuelt K. Skotte 22/4 93

"Whimsical lyrics, velvet harmony and good melodies. Rubber ducks, pyramidal wisdom, real Shakespeare and lots of classy guitar."

Tjeck May 93 "Flying Fish should become an export product. They have managed to give Danish music a new expression and more catchy than it has been heard for a long time."

Politiken 27/4 93 "A surprisingly, whimsical fairyland populated by rubberducks, lovers, burnt sun worshippers and rabbits, all conveyed by the two brothers Martin and Johan Gerup... often in clear line with Magical Mystery Tour. " 

Berlingske Tidende May 5 93 "splashes with a tingling rhythmic undercurrent and sparks by virtue of Gerup's intelligent, unschooled and razor-sharp guitar arrangements.

Martin tells:  

'In 1980 my brother Johan and I formed Dieters Lieder. We releases two albums on the record-label Genlyd in Århus. 'Jeg Ka' Lieder' in 1983 and in 1988 'Hvor flink ka' man blive?'. We disbanded and went our separate ways. But in the early 90s we met again. I had a project with Kim Sagild and Halfdan E for several years, and we had come a long way with it. But I had repeatedly landed with both feet firmly rooted in fickleness. Filled with self-confidence and doubt. A terrible contradiction.'

'My brother had worked with Knut Haavik in the El-sound studio for a long time. I fell head over heels for the opportunity to join him.'

'It was 1993. We had stopped waiting. If you want to release something, you start your own record label. Mine was called Rubberduck Productions. The future looked bright. We were getting on with it. Everyone worked con amore. Rubberduck Productions had an office on Amagertorv, where I, Henrik Laursen and Zadis Viola made plans. Among other things, together with Peter Bjerre, who sold our CD to record stores. The ideas were many. And always quirky. We bought 200 yellow plastic ducks, which were sent around to the media in the summer of 1993. Peter Bjerre persuaded the record store Bristol to make a special Flying Fish exhibition. We found a bathtub, which we filled with water and yellow rubberducks. We found money to get Torben Skjødt Jensen to make the band's music video. In the 1980s, Torben was one of the pioneers behind music video experiments. He had made music videos with Kim Larsen, Hanne Boel, Nanna, Lars Muhl, Lis Sørensen, Søs Fenger, Miss B.Haven, Lars HUG, TV2, Dicte, Sort Sol and Laid Back.'

'We drove out to Frederiksdal in Rubberduck's orchestra car filled with costumes, instruments, easel and umbrellas. The band's lyricist Berta Coley acted as the painting magician. Dorte Schou and Merete Mongstad performed as rain gods, dream elves and playful fairies. I am a queer mermaid playing double bass, with colored cheeks and kohl. Johan Gerup the fairy tale prince who always ends up in the rain. Halfdan E is 'the completely ordinary young man' who is in all bands. Drummer Åge Klausen the restless vagabond who has to move on.'

Torben Skjødt Jensen found the original video in his gems here in 2025. He tells:

'I met Peter Bjerre, who reminded me of the Flying Fish video I had made back in 1993. He told me that Martin Gerup had posted a copy on Youtube in 2012. I saw this copy, and it must have been what you call a really well-curled VHS copy, so I promised Peter that I would try to get into my archive, and I have now and can present here a copy of the video in a somewhat more tolerable format and look. But it is from 1993 so we are back in recordings on tape and analog clips, so that must be carried over.

The video was recorded on a scorching hot May day (must have been at the end of the month), and I had read the review in Politiken a few weeks before where the band was compared to the Beatles and not least the more psychedelic a la Magical Mystery Tour, so when I saw what equipment and costumes they showed up with for themselves - Martin, Johan, Halfdan E, Åge Klausen on drums, as well as the women (girlfriends and wives) Berta, Merete and Dorte - I immediately thought of the Beatles, and basically this track is "In the End", a visual homage to "Strawberry Fields Forever" - try checking it out for yourself. It's one of my "one man videos" - but it was super fun to record and then edit - I think the funniest thing was the band's reaction to having to stand and throw their instruments away during the recordings .... but life is such a big illusion. Here is at least a real summer video that this year has 32 years behind it ... time flies!'

Rubberduck Productions & Søvnig have released several CD's since 1993. You can read about them in the columns to the right. 

*1 

In Danish:
Gaffa, juni 93 "Noget af det mest fantasifulde indenfor dansk musik længe" 
Aktuelt K. Skotte 22/4 93 "Snurrige tekster, velourharmoni og gode melodier. Gummiænder, pyramidalsk visdom, ægte Shakespeare og masser af fornem guitar." 
Tjeck maj 93 " Flying Fish burde blive en eksportvare. De har formået at give dansk musik et nyt udtryk og mere iørefaldende end længe hørt." 
Pol 27/4 93 "trekvart times soapopera som tit er i tydelig tråd med Magical Mystery Tour. et overrumplende, snurrigt eventyrland befolket af gummiænder, elskere, forbrændte soldyrkere og kaniner, alt sammen formidlet af de to brødre Martin og Johan Gerup" 
Berl. 5 maj 93 "spræller med en kriblende rytmisk understrøm og slår gnister i kraft af Gerups intelligente, uskolede og knivskarpe guitarforsiringer.